North Georgia is waking up to the first freeze of the season Tuesday morning.
It has not been this cold since February, according to Channel 2 Action News. Temperatures are 15 to 25 degrees lower than on Monday morning, putting Atlanta at 30 degrees to begin the day.
“It’s going to stay cold all day,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “Forty-two degrees, that is usually our average low this time of year. Instead, that will be our high later on this afternoon.”
Temperatures are in the 20s and 30s to start… and it's still breezy at times out there this morning!
— Brian Monahan, WSB (@BMonahanWSB) December 1, 2020
Some areas north of Atlanta are still getting snow. Snow showers began to fall in the northeast Georgia mountains Monday afternoon, and a few flurries extended into the suburbs.
Monahan said any remaining snowfall should wrap up before the sun comes out. Areas from Pickens County to Dawson and north Forsyth counties were still seeing a few snowflakes Tuesday morning, which could make for slick conditions on the roads.
Gooooood morning! After snow showers/flurries last night, we're still waking up to some areas of flurries and light snow this morning — mainly up in the mountains.
I'm tracking when that ends + looking ahead to a very cold Tuesday — at 4:30am on Channel 2! @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/A23u1fnomW
— Brian Monahan, WSB (@BMonahanWSB) December 1, 2020
Portions of far North Georgia remain under a winter weather advisory until 7 a.m. Cherokee and Bartow counties are included in the advisory area, according to the National Weather Service.
“Slippery travel will be possible in a few neighborhoods early this morning,” Monahan said. “Leave just a little bit of extra time on your way into work.”
Schools delayed, moved to virtual learning for winter weather
While lots of sunshine is in the forecast Tuesday, a northwest breeze will keep things cool, he said. The wind chill will make metro Atlanta feel like the 30s all day long.
Monahan does not expect any more snow this week.
“We will not have any snow showers tonight, just the cold as we get going early on Wednesday morning,” he said. “Plenty of sun for Wednesday afternoon. We’ll start to warm up after tomorrow morning.”
Temperatures should plunge into the 20s again overnight, but 50s are in the forecast for Wednesday afternoon, according to Channel 2. Monahan said the next chance of rain will hold off until Friday.
The snow and chill is not causing any early trouble for the Tuesday morning drive, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
“The good news is no ice reported on interstates metrowide,” traffic reporter Mark Arum said. “It’s lighter than normal through the heart of the city.”
Arum said the Downtown Connector is moving at interstate speeds at 6 a.m., but it is not likely to stay that way for long. While speeds are expected to slow to 35 mph Tuesday afternoon, Arum predicts conditions will still be lighter than normal as the evening drive gets underway.
» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
» Download The Atlanta Journal-Constitution app for weather alerts on-the-go.